The Humanism of Milton's Paradise Lost"The great divide in commentary on Paradise Lost is between historical and critical analysis. In his discussion of the poem, David Reid combines both approaches, at once placing it historically in terms of neoclassical humanism, and reflecting on it critically as a late twentieth-century humanist." "As a historian, Reid argues that Paradise Lost shares in the cultural effort of neoclassical humanism, and yet, in its picture of volition, the poem stands apart from it - Milton's understanding of freedom, error and guilt owing more to his Protestant than to his humanist concerns. And as a critic, Reid argues that surprisingly Milton's religious understanding speaks more directly to our humanism than his splendid articulation of neoclassical humanist themes."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 52
Page 31
... thought ; but , in tying them up with human dignity , he gave them a peculiar twist , a twist that made his story suitable for epic treatment and fitted it to the preoccupations of neoclassical humanism . Neoclassical Humanism 9 It is ...
... thought ; but , in tying them up with human dignity , he gave them a peculiar twist , a twist that made his story suitable for epic treatment and fitted it to the preoccupations of neoclassical humanism . Neoclassical Humanism 9 It is ...
Page 34
... thought that cannot really be thought at all by the human mind . Their learning is vain learning . 18 Janotus gets the bells back , but only because Gargantua has a good laugh at him . His speech fails to move in any other way . That ...
... thought that cannot really be thought at all by the human mind . Their learning is vain learning . 18 Janotus gets the bells back , but only because Gargantua has a good laugh at him . His speech fails to move in any other way . That ...
Page 61
... Thought ' , p . 14 , and Masters of the Reformation , pp . 43–5 , connects humanism and nominal- ism in this respect , but the humanist objection is to terms of art rather than unnecessary verbal entities , and so applies to nominalists ...
... Thought ' , p . 14 , and Masters of the Reformation , pp . 43–5 , connects humanism and nominal- ism in this respect , but the humanist objection is to terms of art rather than unnecessary verbal entities , and so applies to nominalists ...
Common terms and phrases
Absalom and Achitophel Adam and Eve Adam's angels Armida Arminian Augustan Bondage Book choice Christian Doctrine Christian humanism concerns corruption creation creaturely culture death despair divine Dryden earth earthly eloquence Empson Erasmus Erasmus's Essays Eve's evil experience Faerie Queene fall fallen feel forbidden knowledge freedom from constraint fruit God's heaven heavenly hell heroic human action human finitude human nature ideal imitation imagination innocence invocation involved Jerusalem Delivered John Dryden judgement light lines literary literature London looks Luther means Middlemarch Milton Milton's treatment mind moral ideas motions neoclassical epic neoclassical humanism neoclassical humanist Paradise Lost Petrarch philosophy poem poet poetry prohibition Raphael rational reason religious Renaissance Renaissance humanism Renaissance humanists rhetorical Rinaldo Satan scheme scholastic scholasticism schoolmen seems sense serpent shows sort soul speaks spirit suggests talk Tasso temperance theology thought turns understanding unfallen universal Valla virtues and vices volition